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Bowen Blackmyre
An illness in his youth would find Bowen growing no taller than 4'10'', the little lord more closely resembling the frogs iconic to the region than a man four-and-twenty years old. Biography Childhood Born the second son to Lord Murch Blackmyre in 274 AA, Bowen was afforded the freedom that accompanied his lowly position: with no inheritance to be groomed for, as a boy Bowen was free to hunt (Hunting) and fish while his brother, Hallis, was taught the administrative duties required of an efficient lord. In a way, this was a blessing for all parties: the less time Bowen spent at home, the happier he was, and the less his father had to see his malformed offspring, the better. Indeed, Lord Blackmyre's second son was very much malformed: the baby had fallen ill with Greywater Fever shortly after birth and would not recover for some months, with lasting reprecussions: though crannogmen are not famed for their height, Bowen is unusually short, some seven inches shorter than his brother, and his face remains a peculiar mix between a child and a man's, with wide, bug-like eyes staring out from underneath a mess of brown hair. (Dwarf) As the two children of Lord Blackmyre grew, their paths further departed: his father had believed Hallis a gifted strategist and set out to have the boy of five-and-ten prove himself, while Bowen fell further in love with the marshes that his family called home, the little scion rarely returning home apart for his brother's name-day and instead spending weeks on treks (Navigator(e)), searching for the most dangerous game that resided within the swamps. While Hallis learned to bait his enemy into charging his defensive line, Bowen learned to remain undetected until his arrow was lined directly with his quarry's skull (Covert), and in time the two brothers shared little but a surname and a religion, both steadfast in their worship of the Old Gods (Fanatic) as one would expect of two native to a region that continued to practice the oldest of religious ceremonies even though they had fallen out of favor elsewhere. 274-291 AA Regency When King Torrhen X Stark called his banners to drive out the Ironborn from Deepwood Motte, Bowen's father was quick to volunteer both himself and his son for the service, believing experience on the battlefield would turn his gifted boy into a talented man. This gamble would cost House Blackmyre dearly, however: Lord Murch would fall to a reaver's axe on the same day an arrow to the spine would incapacitate his heir. When Hallis, now Lord of House Blackmyre, was returned to the Neck, he showed no signs of life other than a heartbeat: he could not walk or use his arms, nor could he speak. In time, Bowen and Hallis would develop a rudimentary system of communication: the oldest son had not lost control of his eyes, and so one blink came to be known as yes, and two for no, and the two brothers would speak through this binary system as Bowen, now Lord-Regent, would read to his bedridden brother. 292 AA Lord To the members of Blackmyre's household staff, Lord Hallis Blackmyre, son of Lord Murch Blackmyre, died peacefully in his bed in 294 AA from injuries sustained while fighting the Ironborn. To Bowen, however, it would be an act that would haunt him for the remainder of his life: as he went to bring the bedridden lord his nightly meal, Hallis would refuse it by blinking twice. "What, grown bored of turtle, brother?" asked the baby brother in jest. "Come, now, it's always been your favorite." Hallis blinked twice. "What, then, fallfish?" Hallis blinked twice. "Trout?" Hallis blinked twice again. "You're a choosy one, aren't you? Would you rather I simply force some Mud King to squirt down your throat?" said Bowen with as hearty of a laugh as the little lordling could; the two brothers had always shared a dry, deadpan sense of humor. Hallis blinked once. This pattern would continue for a week: Hallis would refuse food and, when offered, would say yes to the poison, and it quickly became clear to Bowen what his brother was after. It was a choice that he wrestled with for days, and one he did not come to an easy conclusion on: there are none moreso accursed that the kinslayer, Bowen knew, even when done for all the right reasons. Hallis would pass away peacefully one night, the poison of the bright blue speckled frog that the men of the Neck referred to as 'Mud Kings' being poured into his throat by Bowen's hands while he slept, and, with his lungs beginning to paralyze soon after, would be found dead the next morning by a member of House Blackmyre's household staff. Hallis' face and Bowen's decision would haunt the new Lord of House Blackmyre every night since. 294 AA Timeline 272 AA: Hallis is born as the first son to Lord Murch Blackmyre. 274 AA: Bowen is born. 292 AA: Bowen's father dies to the Ironborn at Deepwood Motte; his brother Hallis returns home incapacitated and Hallis takes over as Lord-Regent. 294 AA: Word would spread of Lord Hallis Blackmyre passing away peacefully in the night from injuries sustained from a man in House Goodbrother's service, and Bowen would become Lord of House Blackmyre. Supporting Characters Creena - healer and wisewoman local to the village that House Blackmyre oversees - Archetype: Medic Cregard - retainer, talented tracker and scout, and childhood friend of Bowen - NPC: Scout Beron - retainer and distinguished warrior - NPC: General Meran Blackmyre - cousin to Bowen, accomplished warrior with a strong disdain for those not native to the Neck - NPC: Reaver Category:Northerner Category:Northman Category:House Blackmyre